Browsing by Author "Lemański, Janusz"

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    Ephod – What Was It and What Was Its Use? A Question About the Potential Way Forward in the Development of Its Role in the Old Testament Texts
    (Wydawnictwo KUL, 2024) Lemański, Janusz
    In biblical texts, ephod appears most often as part of priestly garb. In the statements of nonpriestly authors (before the Babylonian Exile), the linen ephod symbolizes priestly ministry in general. Sometimes, it is also regarded as an object of illicit worship (a practice condemned by the Deuteronomist) or an instrument necessary for divination practices (a symbol of priestly ministry). In these cases, the verb used indicates not so much a garment as an object. For the post-exile priestly authors, the richly woven and decorated ephod is henceforth exclusively part of the high priestly garb. This change in the role of the ephod represents the only discernible path of “evolution” in the use of ephod in the Hebrew Bible. One can only speculate about its possible earlier uses, such as garment put on statues of deities, based on the suggested (Akkadian, Ugaritic; cf. Isa 30:22) etymology of the word.
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    John S. Bergsma and Jeffrey L. Morrow, Murmuring Against Moses: The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Academic, 2023)
    (Wydawnictwo KUL, 2024) Lemański, Janusz
    Book review: John S. Bergsma and Jeffrey L. Morrow, Murmuring Against Moses : The Contentious History and Contested Future of Pentateuchal Studies (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Academic, 2023). Pp. 308. 39,95 USD. ISBN: 978-1-64585-149-3 (hardcover), 978-1-64585-150-9 (paperback), 978-1-64585–151-6 (e-book).
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    Pit, Spirit, Necromancer or Instrument Used in Necromancy? The Problem of Finding the Correct Meaning of the Hebrew Word אוב (’ôḇ)
    (KUL Publishing House, 2024) Lemański, Janusz
    Various meanings are attributed to the word אוֹב: pit, spirit, necromancer, instrument for divining the future with the help of the dead. Thus, in some cases, it is difficult to decide on the right word to translate it. This article attempts a diachronic analysis of biblical texts and, based on it, traces the potential semantic development from the original sense of “pit”, “instrument used in necromancy” (1 Sam 28:7-8), through the sense of “spirit of the dead” (Isa 8:19; 19:3; 29:4) to the post-exilic use in the sense of “necromancer/medium” (Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27). Deuteronomistic narratives (2 Kgs 21:6; 23:24) and the later list of forbidden practices in Deut 18:10-11 may indicate the timing of this semantic transformation.